1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to article dispensing devices, and more particularly, to a new and improved article dispensing device or apparatus for storing, displaying and dispensing a multiplicity of articles from and within a defined space.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, merchandizing devices in the form of shelving racks for storing, displaying, and dispensing various articles at the “point of sale” are well known in the art. For example, convenience stores or supermarkets conventionally use refrigerated cabinets including racks of shelving for storing, displaying and dispensing various beverage, food or other perishable product containers.
Typical examples of the foregoing prior art devices may be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,218,444; 2,289,751; 5,706,956; 5,718,341; and 6,189,734.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,218,444 shows a simple “merchandising” rack disposed in a refrigerated compartment. The rack is inclined from back to front for serially dispensing via gravity a row of milk bottles or the like, the first one of which is held in position at the front or bottom of the rack by an arcuate-shaped bar or guard. When a customer removes the first bottle, the row of remaining bottles slides down the rack until the next bottle abuts and is held in place by the arcuate guard.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,751 illustrates a display rack containing multiple shelves superimposed one over the other in a “hi-rise” configuration where each shelf comprises multiple, spaced, parallel inclined racks for serially gravity-feeding containers from back to front. Here again, each rack terminates at its lowest elevation at the front or bottom of the rack in an arcuate bar or guard to maintain the first container in the row in an accessible position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,956 discloses a merchandizing rack especially suited for stabilizing “tall” product containers moving along a path defined by a corresponding inclined track on a shelf in the rack. The stabilizing members are in the form of spaced parallel guide members supported on the underside of the shelf positioned immediately above each inclined track. The guide members in turn define guide channels for receiving and guiding the upper portion of each product container, the bottom portion of which is supported for movement by the corresponding below positioned inclined rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,341 shows a merchandising rack for tall product containers having guide channels for the upper portions of the containers, and further including a bridging member between adjacent guide channels to provide a “billboard surface” between the rows of supported containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,734 discloses a merchandising rack for rows of tall product containers supported at their upper portions by guide channels where the lead container in each row is dispensed into a corresponding support basket suspended at the front end of the inclined track defined by each guide channel.
Thus, while the above-described body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use merchandising assemblies in the form of shelving defining stacked rows of inclined product container support channels, a need exists to render such merchandising devices, as well as other known merchandising supports (e.g. flat shelf or spring-indexed arrangements) more efficient by maximizing the amount and type of product that may be stored, displayed and dispensed thereby.
More specifically, it would be extremely desirable to utilize the heretofore wasted space between the narrowed upper portions of tall product containers in prior art merchandising racks to store, display and dispense “auxiliary” products of a different quality or character. As an example, and without limitation, where the tall product is a 20 ounce bottle of soda pop, such an auxiliary product may comprise rows of candy bars or packages of chewing gum.
As will be made apparent from the following description hereinbelow, the foregoing desiderata is met by the present invention which broadly stated provides a new and improved merchandising or article dispensing apparatus uniquely featuring multiple-shelf stacking of a first product in parallel, adjacent rows on each shelf, in combination with auxiliary product dispensing assemblies positioned respectively between pairs of adjacent rows of the first product on each shelf, where the auxiliary products are of different kind or quality with respect to the first product. Additional advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.